On August 23, 2024, 19 professionals from universities and higher learning institutions across Rwanda completed a five-day seminar focused on Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) Systems in the country’s higher education sector.
The event, part of the National Multiplication Training (NMT) 2023/2024, was held at Saint André Hotel in Muhanga District.
The seminar, themed “Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) Systems in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Rwanda,” aimed to enhance the skills of Quality Assurance Managers and Faculty Leaders, including Deans and Heads of Departments, in establishing, assessing, and managing IQA systems within their institutions.
Participants represented various institutions, including the University of Rwanda, Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture (RICA), Protestant Institute of Arts and Social Sciences (PIASS), RP-IPRC Kitabi, Institute of Legal Practice and Development (ILPD), RP-IPRC Musanze, Institut Catholique de Kabgayi (ICK), East African University Rwanda, University of Tourism, Technology and Business Studies (UTB), Kepler College, and East African Christian College.
In his closing remarks, Father Prof. Fidèle Dushimimana, Vice Chancellor of ICK, expressed gratitude to the participants for their commitment and contributions.
He encouraged them to be ambassadors for continuous improvement and excellence in higher education. “It is crucial to maintain and enhance the standards of higher education,” he emphasized, “ensuring that our institutions remain competitive globally and adapt to the evolving educational landscape.”
Father Prof. Dushimimana also highlighted the seminar’s goal of equipping quality assurance managers and faculty leaders with the tools to establish, assess, and manage internal quality assurance systems effectively.
John Ntahemuka, Acting Vice Chancellor of UTB, called for continued collaboration among participants. “Your commitment to improving higher learning institutions in our country is evident,” he said. “Let us continue working together for more benefits and positive changes.”
Theodore Dusabimana, representing the Higher Education Council (HEC), suggested redefining “benchmarking” as “bench-learning,” emphasizing the importance of learning from one another.
He also stressed the need to use student feedback more effectively in teaching and learning.
Throughout the seminar, participants and trainers shared knowledge on topics such as developing QA policies, manuals, and instruments, reviewing existing QA guidelines, meeting ASG-QA and HEC accreditation requirements, and using technology in quality assurance.
The role of benchmarking and the significance of the Self-Assessment Report (SAR) were also discussed.
Eva Liliane Ujeneza from RICA expressed that she gained a deep understanding of the accreditation process and the importance of a competence-based curriculum. She noted the value of involving industry experts in curriculum development to ensure students acquire the necessary skills.
Jean Paul Mbabazi from Kepler College echoed Ujeneza’s sentiments, urging the organizers to expand such training programs in the future.
This workshop was supported by the Dialogue on Innovative Higher Education Strategies (DIES) program, which promotes joint capacity building and international debate among partners from developed and developing countries. DIES operates in Africa, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.